Starry Night
by public static void
Summary: 2: The Blacks weren't wealthy until Lord Smooch helped them out. For Tiggs and her Tiggerific Times Challenge. Drabbles about the Black family.
1. Memories without photographs

**F** or the **Tiggerific Times! Challenge** at **The Golden Snitch** , using the prompt: (creature) Kneazle.

 **W** ord count: 800 exactly :D

Durmstrang, Pirin.

 **There is no excuse** for forgetting Queen Tiggs' birthday, I know, but at least I'll get to write twenty-six fics for her :D

This is a collection of drabbles centred around things (characters, pairings, creatures, among others) that Tiggs likes, and I'm giving it my own twist by making them all related to the Black family.

* * *

Walburga doesn't know where Lucretia finds the Kneazle.

It's a pleasant, tiny creature with dark grey fur and smart amber eyes. Its tail swirls when they pet it between giggles, hiding from their parents in the backyard of Grimmauld Place.

"It looks like a cat," Lucretia says, almost bragging, "but it's a Kneazle. Anyone knows how to tell one from the other."

Walburga doesn't. Mama doesn't let them have animals and their governess teaches only useful things like etiquette and embroidery, not fun things like Kneazles and crups.

"Where are you going to keep it?" Walburga asks because Uncle Arcturus might be nicer than Papa, but he dislikes all kinds of animals. "Your elf will tell Uncle Arcturus!"

Lucretia grins. "You're going to keep it! Kreacher listens to you more than he listens to your parents."

Walburga shifts nervously. She likes the Kneazle, but if Mama finds out...

"Come on, Wally!"

"I told you not to call me that!" she protests stomping her foot on the ground. The Kneazle jumps away from her and climbs up Lucretia's back. It snuggles around her neck and tilts her head as if challenging Walburga to get her.

"Fine, _Wal-bur-ga_ ," Lucretia says, retrieving the Kneazle from her shoulder and forces it into Walburga's hands.

She brings up the little Kneazle and looks at its eyes. She feels nervous as if the creature is looking into her soul, which is nonsense because not even dementors can do that. Walburga grins and the Kneazle perks up.

"I'm going to call it Dementor," she says.

Lucretia claps, excited. "Then it's settled! Dementor is your birthday gift!"

Dementor meows loudly. Walburga smiles at it.

* * *

Walburga looks away from the photograph. It's the only one she has of Dementor, the Kneazle her Father finds in her room the day of her birthday party. In it, she appears with her cousin Lucrecia, laughing at the antics of the Kneazle.

With care, Walburga folds the photograph and puts it inside her jewellery box.

* * *

Everyone is worried.

Walburga looks outside. It's raining, as it has been for the whole day.

"Aren't you worried?" her ten–years–old son yells at her. He looks angrier than Walburga has ever seen him and the thought of makes her heart shudder. Her face, though, shows no emotion. "My _brother_ is missing and you're enjoying your tea?"

Walburga doesn't bother with the child and watches as he rages around the room. Orion, Ignatius and Cygnus are looking for him outside, the girls and the twins are at Hogwarts and what else can she, Lucretia and Druella do?

Lucretia tries to calm Sirius down and Druella orders Kreacher to bring him hot cocoa, but Walburga knows it won't work. Nothing works with the boy.

A thunderbolt lights up the sky and shakes Walburga's heart. How can she tell Sirius that she is as worried as he is?

Another thunderbolt. Walburga looks out of the window and sees the shadow of two figures walking around the house, not being able to enter. Walburga gets closer to the window, her nose almost touching the crystal.

"He's outside," she says and hurries to the front door without waiting for the others. She gathers her skirts in one hand and her wand in the other, blasting the door open to see her little boy under the rain, looking lost.

"Of course," she hears Druella say. "Regulus doesn't have a reason to know _the secret_."

That will be rectified as soon as Regulus is inside and warm.

"Mama!" he yells as if he were five years younger but, for once, Walburga doesn't care. She embraces him and even pulls Sirius into the hug, letting the brothers _feel_ how safe they are.

"Let's enter," she says and Lucretia and Druella take the boys inside.

She looks around. The second shadow approaches and Walburga crouches. A dark grey Kneazle sniffs her hand and snuggles up to her thighs.

"Thank you, Dementor," she says, recognising the creature.

The Kneazle meows loudly. It has grown and changed so much, and Walburga wishes she could have protected it better. She can rectify that too.

"Come."

The Kneazle follows her into Grimmauld Place, where her children are safe.

She almost smiles at Sirius' unbelieving expression when she tells them the Kneazle will stay. Regulus, happy and safe, grins and thanks her. Druella is confused and Lucretia looks at her, nostalgic.

There isn't a photograph of that day, but Walburga imagines it often: she sits on her favourite couch with Regulus at one side and Sirius beside his brother, not letting him out of sight. And, of course, with an old Dementor at their feet.


	2. The money had to come from somewhere

**F** or the **Triggerific Times! Challenge** at **The Golden Snitch** , using the prompt: (creature) Niffler.

 **W** ord count: 800 words.

Durmstrang, Pirin.

The mentioned characters are canon, according to the wikia, and lived during the early 1800 years.

* * *

"Come on, Smooch! Father will be mad if we don't go back!" Licorus Black told his Niffler.

The creature's eyes rose to see Licorus. There was a pleading look in its eyes, begging them to stay. Licorus' best friend and adventure companion since he was six years old, Magenta, smiled at the little Niffler.

"Don't worry, Lord Smooch. If Mister Black gets mad, we'll say it's Lic's fault!"

The Niffler patted the ground and raised its snout in what the kids assumed was happiness. Then, before Licorus could decide if he should simply pick up Smooch and go back home, the Niffler looked to the left and ran.

Magenta reacted first, grinning and breaking into a run behind the creature. Licorus rolled his eyes, sighed and ran behind them. His father was going to be very, very mad.

On the other hand, Magenta looked happy here and he would do anything to keep her smiling. She changed after her mother's death along with his own in a potions accident. He, on the other hand, didn't care much. His crazy mother mistreated little Phoebe and Eduardus because they weren't as smart as he, Hesper or Alexia. The resentment stopped him from attending his mother's funeral.

"Lic! Look! Lord Smoochs found something here!"

When he finally caught up with them, Licorus couldn't believe his eyes.

"Is this real?" he asked, kneeling at Lord Smooch's side. The Niffler had already dug a medium–sized hole on the ground. Licorus thought it was big enough for Eduardus to crawl through it, but not big enough for him or Magenta, who was taller than he was.

"I don't know," she told him, kneeling without caring if she ruined her dress. "It looks like it."

"Nifflers dig around for shiny stuff, not necessarily valuable things," he reminded her, but his mouth had gone dry and a voice at the back of his mind kept telling him they were rich. "Let me see."

He looked around and made sure no one was around before taking out his dead mother's wand. Even if he hadn't liked her, her wand liked _him_. He charmed the hole to be bigger, startling the Niffler, who gave a low growl.

"Easy, Smooch," he said, holding out his hand to the Niffler. Lord Smooch wasn't an aggressive creature, but no one could really know with Nifflers. Thankfully, Smooch made an agreeable noise and returned to his task of getting as many shiny things into his belly pouch as he could.

"Are they real?" Magenta asked. He looked up and saw Magenta peeking into the hole.

He grinned. "They are! We could sell this gems and we'd be rich, Magenta!"

He heard her clap excitedly and he even imagined her wearing pendants made from this gems. He looked up again, forgetting the gems and the rest of Lord Smooch's treasure.

"Magenta?"

"Yes, Lic?"

He let a moment pass. He could hear his heartbeat, Smooch's excited growls, the clinking of gems and what he thought was silver, and Magenta's breathing.

"I love you," he said. She giggled. He looked up and saw her blond hair cascading down.

"It took you ten years to realise?"

He smiled, relieved. Then, looking back at Lord Smooch, he whispered: "You better share this with us, Smooch."

Smooch growled approvingly, or so Licorus thought, and handed him a particularly good looking gem. "You're generous, Smooch."

"I don't think your father will be angry at us anymore," Magenta said cheerily.

"Perhaps, but we should hurry in case the owner of all this returns to see his treasure gone."

Lord Smooch growled in what Licorus thought to be agreement and bagged all he could. The rest, Magenta and Licorus carried in her skirts and with his mother's wand.

"I'm not letting you forget what you told me back there," Magenta said, looking at him. Her beautiful smile charmed him like a treasure called a Niffler. "So don't you dare say it was the emotion of the moment, Licorus."

Magenta never really used his full name, so hearing it from her lips made his heart leap up in joy.

"The emotion of the moment made me recognise what I feel," he told her, noticing how Smoochs perked up, interested in the conversation. "But it's always been there. It's like seeing a flower in each tree leaf, tasting wine when you drink water and waking up in time to see the sun rise. All at the same time."

"And you saw it all in Lord Smooch's eyes!" Magenta exclaimed, laughing.

Licorus had to laugh too. Yes, Smooch love for his treasure made him see his own.


End file.
